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Sell-off defeated, but fight to defend the NHS goes on…

Our victory in 2013-2014 against the threat of ward closures and job cuts showed what could be achieved when local people – residents, patients, hospital staff, trade unions, politicians and a number of concerned local celebs – came out to defend our hospital.

We were told that plans for huge cutbacks in services would be scrapped and a new strategy put in place to guarantee our hospital’s future. But big savings are likely to be needed as the new government imposes further austerity on our public services – including the NHS.

Despite what it says about protecting health service funding, hospitals are likely to face savage cuts – while privatisation is an increasing threat as large parts of the NHS, including hospital and community services such as district nursing and mental health, are packaged up and sold off to private companies who will cut care provision and jobs in a bid to boost profits.

We are opposed to the Sustainability and Transformation Plans that this Governmentment has imposed on our NHS, incurring MASSIVE cuts to the service, under the guise of improvement. We welcome a state of the art Health Service, but with no loss of jobs and services, no privatisation. We are proud that the Whttington currently has NO private beds, We want this to continue.

Join our campaign to keep our local hospital and oppose these threats before it is too late.

For more details about the progress of the campaign, and a list of future actions, visit the “Meetings and events” section of the website.

Junior doctors on the picket line outside the Whittington on the first day of the strikes. They were joined by members of DWHC and Keep Our NHS Public. Popular support for the strike remains strong

Why DWHC is backing junior doctors 48-hour stoppages

The second of three 48-hour strikes by junior doctors will go ahead on 6 April as they continue to fight the government’s plan to cut their pay and conditions, and impose an “unsafe” contract without agreement of the “doctors’ trade union” the British Medical Association.

The government claims it is aiming for a seven-day a week health service. But as the junior doctors themselves say, the government has misrepresented data and continues to lie about the seven-day NHS. A seven-day 24-hour emergency NHS already exists. But staffing levels are at the brink. What we really need is more funding, more doctors, more nurses, more porters, lab staff and other healthcare professionals.

The doctors are right when they say the safeguards built into this new contract are inadequate. There is a financial incentive for hospitals to overwork already tired doctors, as it is cheaper to do this and pay fines than hire extra staff to cover the large staffing gaps which are currently there in our hospitals. This is leading to burn out and doctors leaving the NHS.

The government are not being truthful when they are saying doctors are getting a pay rise of 13.5 per cent. They are not. Most junior hospital doctors who do any out of hours on-calls will lose out between 10-20 per cent. Working more unsocial hours and getting a pay cut is demoralising – is that what the government wants?

Already we see that staffing levels are getting dangerously low. The gaps in the rota for doctors and nurses are growing. Doctors and nurses are being asked to do more and more every day because the government are not employing more staff. Frequently on a night shift a doctor is being asked to do the work of three doctors and also being asked to act as a more senior doctor. This is dangerous and puts our loved ones at risk.

Striking junior doctors are defending a high quality NHS – an NHS run by well-supported staff who are able to give of their best when caring for you. The government will attack the jobs of other NHS staff next: underfunding core NHS services and privatising lucrative areas.

The NHS is facing a crisis – but it is a crisis of the government’s own making, brought about by its stubborn refusal to adequately fund the NHS. The junior doctors are in the front line of the fight to properly fund the health service. That’s why we support them and why the public back them as well.

Lest we forget…

These, the founding principles of the NHS, are a reminder of what we are fighting for… and what is under threat as the government renews its attacks on our health services.

DWHC joins NHS protest in Manchester

Thousands of NHS campaigners – including a contingent from DWHC – converged on Manchester on Sunday 4 October for the protest at the Tory party conference.

Up to 100,000 people joined the march, called by the TUC to demonstrate against the government’s austerity policies and the attacks on union rights and the NHS.

The march had the backing of the People’s Assembly. Rights groups said cuts in benefits have targeted the most vulnerable – including children, the elderly, the disabled, the sick and the mentally ill, as well as the unemployed and low paid – while the government has given millionaires a handout through tax cuts that will vastly increase their wealth.

NHS unions were angry that staff are being laid off or having to work longer hours for less pay. With rising costs, the government’s five-year freeze in NHS funding means further severe reductions will have to be made, which could see hospitals, A&Es and GPs surgeries plunged into a deepening crisis this winter.

Thousands of junior doctors also joined the protest to signal their anger at the new contracts health secretary Jeremy Hunt is trying to force through. The doctors leaders say pay cuts and longer hours will result, and that patients could be put at risk if hours are lengthened further.

Len McCluskey, Unite general secretary, in a speech to the rally at the end of the march showed the government was facing opposition. He said the protest was “sending a very clear message” to the government that a fightback was under way.

The DWHC contingent lining up with the banner at the start of march past the Tory party conference in Manchester on October 4

No to privatisation of out of hours service

The procurement of a new £50 million out of hours contract covering all five North Central London clinical commissioning groups – Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield – has been put on hold until April while the CCGs hold “public engagement” meetings to try to win over opposition.

How well the OOH service is run – if it is also combined with the 111 emergency phoneline, which is another part of the plan – will have a big impact on the number of people turning up at A&E. We want the service to be run by local doctors, not by a big private medical company. That’s why we are saying the “public engagement” exercise is not enough and why we are calling for proper public consultation so that the view of most people that the new service should not be privatised is taken into account.

People’s Inquiry warns of danger to London hospitals

The People’s Inquiry into London’s NHS completed its information-gathering stage at Lewisham Hospital, having held seven public hearings in different parts of London, and received evidence from around 100 people, including DWHC.

The six-person panel, which included Roy Lilley and the Guardian’s Polly Toynbee, has now published its report, which makes grim reading for defenders of London hospitals under threat of closures.

But the authors of the report say there are ways out of this mess. Their aim in highlighting the current crisis is to open up debate and discussion on NHS policy in the run-up to the next general election, and pin the blame firmly on the government.

Save our health service from the greedy tories who want to make a profit out of people’s suffering. They turn their longing eyes to U.S.’s wonderful health service: look at the profits! As quoted many times, these people understand all about profit and nothing about value and compassion.

A key part of What We Are Fighting For & Why includes NO CUTS IN STAFF. The real reason the Whittington has a good safety level and an excellent reputation amonst patients for good and sympathetic care is that our hospital has been well-staffed. We know from the example of Mid-Staffs that low staff numbers destroys patient care. Every member of staff contributes to our overall care. Thanks to them all – from Reception to Kitchen Staff, from Medical Secretaries to Physiotherapists!

BIG Congrats to Save Lewisham Hospital campaign, as High Court announces Jeremy Hunt acted unlawfully in decision to cut and close hospital services. Victory to Lewisham! – and let all the NHS campaigns take hope from news of yet another people power victory! Well done to all those who fought so hard in organising and supporting the campaign!

Barnet, Enfield and Haringey residents have reacted with fury at the news that maternity services at their local hospital, Chase Farm, will end this month and the A&E department will close in December, despite intense local opposition, after Enfield Council’s demand for a judicial review was refused by the courts. The government is to blame. The closures are the result of plans introduced by the previous Tory health secretary Andrew Lansley, which also put several other London hospital departments at risk as the government seeks to cut NHS funding and transfer services to the private sector.

Thank you all for what you are doing to try and keep the Whittington open. What is planned for it is a disgrace without any consideration of local needs and wishes or regard for its devoted staff.
One can only hope that the closure of hospitals by Hunt without consultation does not become law.

London’s NHS is under threat from government plans to cut billions of pounds from our hospitals, local doctors and community health services.

London has fewer GPs and hospital beds per head of population than the rest of the country. But now, the government is pressing ahead with the “reconfiguration” of London’s NHS, resulting in more hospital closures and a greater burden on overworked GPs and community services – without giving them any extra funding to do the job properly.

Keep Our NHS Public has organised a question and answer session with would-be MEPs and councillors in our area at the London Irish Centre, Camden Square, NW1 9XB,on Monday 28 April at 7pm.

Come along and take the opportunity to quiz local politicians standing in next month’s elections and let it be known that opposition to the destruction of our NHS is gathering strength.

Earlier this year, Whittington chair Steve Hitchins sought to calm fears over the Whittington management’s renewed bid for foundation trust status and its plan to become an “integrated care organisation” – which could involve the jettisoning of its status as district general hospital – and what this might mean in terms of job cuts and reduced hospital services.

In a meeting with DWHC after his first board meeting on 7 May, interim Whittington chief executive Simon Pleydell sought to further explain the board’s strategy and the benefits of moving towards becoming an “integrated care organisation”, which could include strengthening the hospital’s independence.

He said the Whittington faced a big financial challenge this year, with £15 million being cut from the budget. Ways of managing the deficit included a reduction in the use of agency staff and a 3.5% cut in the corporate overhead.

So there will be a lot to talk about at the next DWHC planning meeting on 2 June, from 7pm, at our usual venue, Archway Methodist Hall, Archway Close, N19 3DT. Please come along. For further details, contact defendwhittington@gmail.com or find us on facebook.

Out of Hours Services in North London
There is a move to privatise the Out of Hours service in the five North East Central Boroughs – Camden, Haringey, Islington Enfield and Barnet. We are totally opposed to this.
Currently Islington CCG is doing a survey about OOH. The survey is managed by Care UK, a huge private enterprise. They want to know what you think of their service and what you want from it in the furture. They are in the running to take over the new 5 borough service that we think should be run by GPs and the NHS.
Our position is that we want a PUBLICLY run service that meets all our health needs! Please do not tell them how great they are at the moment, because rember they are making PROFITS out of the money we pay for we pay for our health service. Is it worth doing the survey? Probably not!

Dreadful cuts planned at the Whittington Hospital. See http://www.camdennewjournal.com/whitfinances
We will be meeting with Simon Pleydell, the CEO, next Thursday to find out more details.
Let’s be clear though. The cuts are due to this very nasty mean Government’s underfunding and destruction of our NHS

Is the increase in the size of the older generation to blame for the NHS crisis? Or is this claim by government supporters simply a way of diverting attention from the true cause of the crisis – the government imposed marketisation of services, wholesale privatisation and public sector funding cuts? And what does this mean for the way hospital services are being reconfigured? Read this factsheet dispelling the myth that older people are to blame at http://www.nhsbill2015.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Myth-of-Ageing-fact-sheet.pdf

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We are deeply shocked and saddened by the recent, sudden death of our colleague, friend and website manager, Tony Marshall.

He was an essential member of our team. His knowledge about the complications around NHS funding and organisation was exceptional. He attended CCG meetings as well as ours.

He was a key member of Keep our NHS Public and Camden KONP and in this role played a vital part in saving the out of hours services in Camden, Islington, Haringey, Barnet and Enfield from the greedy clutches of Care UK.

He is and will be deeply missed by us all. Our love and condolences to his family and partner.

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Jeremy Hunt should be sacked for all the damage he is doing to our AMAZING NHS! We will not give up attacking ANY PRIVATISATION that threatens Public Services! Our NHS, Police, Ambulance and Fire Crews deserve a DECENT Pay Rise, NOW and ANNUALLY, to make up for vicious cuts over the last 7 years.

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What we are fighting for

* We are opposed to the rundown, closure or privatisation of all hospitals and hospital departments and any other key health services in North London.

* We want to stop the sell-off of our NHS.

* We call for the repeal of the Health and Social Care Act - the government measure which opened the way for big private companies to take over our hospitals and health services and shut them down if they don't make enough profit.

* We call for full funding of our NHS to meet our health needs, free at the point of delivery.

* We are proud of our caring staff at the Hospital, and welcome the diversity of the staff.